Door lift



Dec. 4, 1951 K. P. MOLAUGHLIN 2,577,348

DOOR LIFT Filed July 11, 1946 2 SHEETSSHEET 1 ,ATTORNEY M my lNVi-INTORKenneth, P. McLaughlin Dec. 4, 1951 K. P. MCLAUGHLIN 2,577,348

DOOR LIFT Fil ed July 11, 1946 2 SHEETS--SHEET 2 INVENTOR. Kenneth PMcLaugh hn,

ATTO RN EY forth. g

In order that my invention may be better un-"" Patented Dec. 4, @951UNITED STATE S PATENT OFFICE DOOR LI FT Kenneth P. McLaughlin, Wichita,Kans. Application July 11, 1946, Serial No. 682,769

vide a mechanism of this kind which, in addi-' tion to permitting convenent raising or lifting of a door from within the building structure,operates with equal facility to unlatch the door.

The invention consists in the details of construction and in thecombination and arrangement of the several parts of'my improved doorlift whereby certain important advantages are attained, as well behereinafter more fully set clerstood, I will now proceed to describe thesame with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a view in perspective and of a diagrammatic characterillustrating a door lifting means constructed in accordance with anembodiment of the invention;

Figure 2 is a diagrammatic view in side elevation illustrating in fulllines the door in fully raised position, the lower or closed position ofthe door being indicated by broken lines;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary elevational view of the operator for the latchmechanism; and

Figure 4 is a view in sde elevation of Figure 3 with certain of theparts separated.

As disclosed in the accompanying drawings, D denotes a door of aconventional type employed in connection with garages and which ismounted in a well known manner for upward and inward swinging movement.

The jambs l of the doorway between which the door D operates areprovided in the lower portions thereof with the inwardly facing keepers2 provided with downwardly facing lugs 3 under which are adapted toengage the sliding bolts 4, carried by the door D, when the door is inits lowermost position. When the bolts 4 are engaged below the lugs 3,it is obvious that thedoor D cannot be lifted or raised.

The bolts 4 are at opposite sides of the door D and in longitudinalalignment and are slidably held by the guide straps 5. These bolts 4 areupon the inner side of the door D.

Disposed through the door D substantially midway between the bolts 4 isa shaft 6, the outer extremity of which carries an operating crank orhandle 1 while the inner extremity of the shaft 6 is disposed centrallythrough an operating bar 8. This bar 8 is mounted upon the shaft 5 forfree rotation.

The opposite end portions of the bar 8 have secured thereto, as at M,the extremities of the pull members I5 which may be of wire or othermaterial and the opposite end portions of said members are secured, asat Hi, to the inner extremities of the bolts 4.

As is believed to be obvious, turning movement of the shaft 6 in onedirection will result in a locking of the bar 8 in a direction toretract the bolts 4 sufliciently to free the same from the lugs 2, sothat the desired lfting or raising ofthe door D may be accomplished.

The bar 8 is held against displacement from upon the shaft 6 by a washeror disk 9 held against the outer end of the shaft 6 by the headed boltII] which threads through the center of the washer or disk 9 into theadjacent extremity of the shaft 6.

Fixed to the shaft 6 upon the inner side of the door D and closelyadjacent to the door is a depending arm ll press-fitted or otherwise soapplied to the shaft 6 to rotate therew th. The lower extremity of thisarm II is provided with an outwardly directed lug l2 which engages thebar 8 from below at either side of the shaft 6 dependent upon thedirection of rotation of the shaft 6.

The bar 8 to one side of the shaft 6 has operatively engaged therewithan upstanding shackle ll with wh ch is engaged an extremity of a pullcable l8. This cable I8 is disposed upwardly along the inner sideof thedoor D and is freely disposed through an opening [9 provided in the topcross member 28 of the door which is disposed at the inner side thereof.

On the top of the door D and fore and aft of this opening l9 are therollers 2| rotatably supported between the upstand ng brackets 22 rigid-1y secured upon the top of the door D. The cable I8 passes up betweenthese rollers 2| which provide antifriction guide means and said cableI8 is continued over suitably positioned guide rollers 23 carried by thetop structure of the building, such as a garage, and terminates in adepend ng cable length I 8' which is adapted to be grasped by a personwithin the garage whereby, upon pull being imposed upon the cable l8,the door D will be lifted or raised.

This operation can be readily performed by an occupant of a car withinthe garage structure.

It is to be noted that the arrangement of the cable I8 is such that 'aspull is imposed thereon, the door, after being raised a predetermineddistance, will be swung backwardly sufiicient to permit the same toassume a substantially horizontal position by gravity.

When the shaft 6 is rotated from without by the crank or handle I, thecontact of the lug [2 from below with the arm 8 will rock the arm in adirection resulting in the retraction of the bolts 4. By having the armor bar 8 freely mounted on the shaft 6, a person within the buildingstruc ture can readily retract the bolts 4 by the independent rocking ofthe arm or bar 8 on the shaft 5. 7

When the door is in its closed and locked position, the crank or handlemember 1 is substantially vertically disposed and the door D adjacent tothis position of the crank or handle member .1. is provided with anoutstanding eye member'fl to permit the use of a padlock or thelikeforposi tively holding the shaft 6 against rotation.

From the foregoing description it is thought to be obvious that a doorlift constructedaim 3213-1 cordance with my invention is particularlywell adapted for use by reason of the convenienceand .facility withwhichit may be assembled and'operated.

I claim: a

In adoor construction of the type-comprising a one piece door body andpivot means supporting. the door body to swing. .on a horizontal axisfrom a vertical .closedposition to an overhead horizontal open position;a latch releasing. and door shifting mechanism comprising a longhorizontally disposed plate pivotally supported inter.- mediate its endson the inner side of thedbor body to turn on a horizontal axisperpendicular to the face of the. the door, means for coupling each endof the plate with door latching means whereby oscillation. of the plateaetuates said means, a pull cable connected at one end to the platebetween the pivot therefor and a coupling means by which pull on thecable will effect the oscillation of the plate and actuation of doorlatching means connected therewith, a pair of guides at the top of thedoor above said plate between which said cable extends, a guide pulleyover the top of which said cable passes, said guide pulley beingsupported at an elevation above thehorizontal position of the door andat such position inwardly from the door opening that the said guidesmove rearwardly beneath and past the pulley position in the movement ofthe door to the said horizontal open position carryingrajpartt-of thecable across the underside of the puIIe and-guide pulleys for the cablesupported at the elevation of the first pulley and reai-nwardlytherefrom with respect to the said door opening. V

' :P. McLAUGHLI-N.

REFERENCES The following references 'are of; recordin'the file of thispatent:

UNITED STATES Number. Name Date.

1,588;663' Collins June 15,.1926 l,94fi',,970. Grandgent Feb. 13 19341,964,114 Gerlach..et.al.. l. uJune26, 1934 2,040,080 Collins May'12,1936 2,091,950 J ohnsonl Nov. 2, 1. 93? 2,124,969 Bagley-etal. July 26,1938 2,344,276 Thompson Mar. 14, 194:4

